As emerges, for example, from DE 199 61 706 B4, it is known from the prior art to use an adhesive strand to bond with a holding section a windscreen made from composite glass in the region of its edge which runs along a vehicle body and faces the engine bonnet. Use is normally made as adhesive strand of a double-sided adhesive tape which is formed from a foamlike middle layer which, in turn, is provided on both sides with an adhesive layer. A disadvantage of this is that the adhesive strand behaves like a type of sponge having pronounced elastic properties such that the connection is not sufficiently stiff to be able to clip an attachment part on the body without supporting the holding section.
Furthermore, after being installed in a vehicle the holding section provided with the windscreen is connected to another vehicle part, for example a water box cover, by means of clip connections located at freely protruding areas, it being important for correct mounting that the holding section opposes the applied pressure with a sufficient resistance. The connection of the holding section to the windscreen is, however, too soft when use is made of a double-sided adhesive tape, and so a fitter cannot establish straight away whether the components have been properly joined together.
The freely protruding area of the holding section at which the last named is connected to another vehicle part has, on the one hand, a certain elasticity and, on the other hand, the adhesive layer as such. When the pane is installed in the vehicle, it is thus impossible for a fitter to distinguish whether to deform the protruding area of the holding section or to displace it overall, or to latch the clip connection properly, something which takes place only after overcoming a certain closing force.
Furthermore, it is generally known from the prior art for a holding section and pane to be connected not by the above-described adhesive tape but, instead, by a chemically cured adhesive such as polyurethane adhesive, which has a substantially greater hardness than an adhesive tape. The lesser flexibility of the connection permits only slight extensions for the same force applied, and so a proper engagement of the clip connections at the holding section and vehicle part can be more effectively determined. However, a disadvantage of this connection is that the adhesive requires a certain setting time before it is cured and produces a stable connection. Consequently, holding element and pane must be fixed in their position with the aid of suitable means for the duration of the setting, and this signifies a not inconsiderable extra outlay.
EP 1 280 675 B1 describes a sealing arrangement for vehicle panes in the case of which the pane is connected to a holding element firstly by a double-sided adhesive tape, and secondly by a so-called “adhesive bead” made from a soft curing material. The stiffness of the connection by comparison with the connection disclosed in DE 199 61 706 B4 should thereby already be substantially increased. Nevertheless, the double-sided adhesive tape which is arranged between the windscreen and the holding element continues to cause a certain softness in the connection, and this likewise entails the abovementioned disadvantages.